Athing Mu wins The Bowerman as nation's top female NCAA track & field athlete

Texas A&M's golden girl adds yet another award to an already packed trophy case.

On Friday night, All-American track star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Athing Mu was named the recipient of The Bowerman, awarded to the nation's top male and female NCAA track & field athletes by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The announcement came at the organization's annual convention at the Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, Fla.

“I’m thankful for every experience, every meet I’ve ran in and every person that has come into my life the past two years,” Mu said.

“God has played a huge role in every single thing that has happened. I’m so blessed for it to happen to me. I’m thankful for my family and friends making me happy when I feel like I’m not, and Coach [Pat] Henry for giving me so many opportunities. A lot of athletes didn’t have as smooth of a transition as I have had. I’m blessed.”

Teammate Tyra Gittens was also a finalist as was Tara Davis of Texas. Previous Aggie winners of The Bowerman include Jessica Beard in 2011 and Deon Lendore in 2014.

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Proudly wearing the Red, White & Blue, Mu topped the medal stand twice in Tokyo this Summer.

This summer in Tokyo, Mu became the first American woman in 53 years to win gold in the 800m with an American record time of 1:55.21. She later added another gold medal by anchoring the United States' 4x400m relay team.

Mu's success in the Olympic Games came after one of the most dominant collegiate seasons of all time. Running for the legendary Pat Henry, the freshman set four individual collegiate records (indoor 600m, indoor 800m, outdoor 400m and outdoor 800m) and helped set two relay records (indoor 4x400m and outdoor 4x400m). In one season in Aggieland, Mu set eight school records.

During the 2020-2021 season, Mu earned four first-team All-American honors and won three NCAA event championships (indoor and outdoor 4x400m and outdoor 400m).

For her dominant freshman campaign, she was named the USTFCCCA National Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, as well as the SEC Indoor and Outdoor Freshman Runner of the Year.

Since turning professional on June 19, Mu is a perfect 7-0 in 800m races and improved her American record to 1:55.04.